Parkland’s boys cross country team will surely be a contender when late October rolls around. If anyone needed evidence that the Trojans’ are going to be a mighty team this fall, the DeSales Invitational results should prove it.

Parkland crushed the competition last Saturday on a sweltering day in Center Valley. The Trojans, with three runners in the top 10 of a strong 136-man field, ran away with first place. They scored 48 points as a team, well ahead of second place William Tennent at 70.

“We knew that there were going to be pretty good teams here,” said sophomore Nicholas Bower, who finished in sixth place at DeSales. “It’s a good way to gauge how we are going to do in districts and leagues. I think it was good, definitely a good start to the season.”

Parkland senior Hailemichael Geiger led the boys team, running the course in 16:37 for second place overall. Owen J. Roberts’ Liam Conway, a top 30 finisher at states last year, won the race in 16:20.

After Geiger were Parkland teammates Bower, Sam Morgan (8th), Riley Williamson (15th), Jacob Ringer (17th), Jonathan Snyder (20th) and Steven Kaleycik (29th).

Parkland’s girls team finished ninth at DeSales, led by senior Sydney DelVecchio.

While DelVecchio was disappointed in her finish after taking seventh place at DeSales as a junior, she plans to learn from the race and use it as motivation down the road.

“I felt good for the first two miles but it was in the last mile that the heat really started getting to me,” she said. “If I have to have a bad race I’d rather it be one of the beginning ones.”

Saturday’s temperatures were in the 90s with heat indexes over 100 degrees. The conditions were far from ideal for a 3.1-mile run.

The rest of Parkland’s finishers in the girls race include Erin Wood in 38th place, followed by Madison Zaun (43rd), Ashley Steele (68th), Sarah Clapham (69th), Kiley Krasley (71st) and Morgan Glenn (85th).

Trojan runners and teams also competed in nonvarsity races at DeSales.

Parkland’s Zachary Lynch won the boys sub-varsity (JV) race, followed by teammate Nathan Rode in second place. The Trojans also earned the boys sub-varsity race team title.

Parkland’s freshman boys team won a team title, led by second-place finisher Nathan Reimer.

The Trojans placed third in boys middle school led by Benjamin Esquieres and Mustapha Salau in sixth and seventh place, respectively.

Lily Goense (6th place) was the top Parkland finisher in the girls freshman race.

Parkland’s girls team took second place in the middle school race behind a third-place finish by Demi Olatilo.

The Trojans’ Natalie Britton and Claire Bassler finished 12th and 13th, respectively, in the girls sub-varsity race.